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Smith sharpens up with 5km win

New Zealander Kim Smith continued to sharpen up in her bid to qualify for the world athletics championships with a comfortable win in the Run Westfield 5km road race in Massachusetts.

A three-time Olympian, Smith's strong start set her up for a 14min 48sec win, 44sec clear of second-placed Amy Hastings.

Smith's marathon career is on hold as she looks to better the 31min 35sec A qualifying standard over 10,000m for August's world athletics championships in Russia.

Her all-time best over 10,000m came in 2008, when she set a New Zealand record of 30:35.54 before finishing ninth at the Beijing Olympics.

Now based in the United States, Smith first represented New Zealand over 5000m at the 2004 Athens Games, where she finished 20th. She contested the marathon in last year's London Olympics, clocking 2:26.59 to finish 15th.